Grok 4.5 and GLM-5.2 kick off Token Price Wars | E22

<p><strong>This Week In Startups is made possible by:</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>PAYPAL OPEN</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Today’s show:</strong></p><p><strong>The price of tokens keeps tumbling down, and it’s changing who controls AI.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Grok 4.5 and GLM-5.2 landed within two weeks of one another, offering powerful alternatives at a fraction of frontier prices. But are SpaceXAI’s latest offering and open weight models truly ready to replace Opus, GPT-5.5, and Fable? Are enterprises finally ready to stop renting and start owning their intelligence?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>On TWiAI Episode 22, Jason and Lon welcome three top founders — Sara Hooker (Adaption Labs), Manu Sharma (Labelbox), and Spiros Xanthos (Resolve AI) — to break down the global AI price war, and what it means for the frontier labs and customers alike. Plus Denis Hassabis’ call for an AI Standards Body, Uber and Waymo duke it out over DC robotaxis, and is SpaceXAI really going to put data centers in orbit any time soon?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Guests:</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Sara Hooker on X:</strong><a href="https://x.com/sarahookr"><strong> https://x.com/sarahookr</strong></a></p><p><strong>Adaption Labs:</strong><a href="https://adaptionlabs.ai/"><strong> https://adaptionlabs.ai/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Manu Sharma on X:</strong><a href="https://x.com/manuaero"><strong> https://x.com/manuaero</strong></a></p><p><strong>Labelbox:</strong><a href="https://labelbox.com/"><strong> https://labelbox.com/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Spiros Xanthos on X:</strong><a href="https://x.com/spirosx"><strong> https://x.com/spirosx</strong></a></p><p><strong>Resolve AI:</strong><a href="https://resolve.ai/"><strong> https://resolve.ai/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Relevant Links</strong></p><p><strong>Introducing Grok 4.5**:**</strong><a href="https://x.ai/news/grok-4-5"><strong> https://x.ai/news/grok-4-5</strong></a></p><p><strong>GLM from</strong><a href="http://z.ai"><strong> Z.ai</strong></a><strong>:</strong><a href="https://z.ai"><strong> https://z.ai</strong></a></p><p><strong>Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index:</strong><a href="https://artificialanalysis.ai/"><strong> https://artificialanalysis.ai/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Demis Hassabis: “A Framework for Frontier AI and the Dawning of a New Age”:</strong><a href="https://x.com/demishassabis/status/2076957440109625718"><strong> https://x.com/demishassabis/status/2076957440109625718</strong></a></p><p><strong>Cerebras:</strong><a href="https://www.cerebras.ai/"><strong> https://www.cerebras.ai/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Austin Allred post cited by Jason:</strong><a href="https://x.com/Austen/status/2076745226387902925"><strong> https://x.com/Austen/status/2076745226387902925</strong></a></p><p><strong>TechCrunch coverage of DC autonomous driving bill:</strong><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/ubers-robotaxi-lobbying-effort-has-put-it-on-a-collision-course-with-waymo/"><strong> https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/ubers-robotaxi-lobbying-effort-has-put-it-on-a-collision-course-with-waymo/</strong></a></p><p><strong>DoorDash: Meet Dot:</strong><a href="https://about.doordash.com/en-us/dot"><strong> https://about.doordash.com/en-us/dot</strong></a></p><p><strong>TechCrunch coverage of orbital data center debate:</strong><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/sam-altmans-space-data-center-trash-talk-is-what-most-experts-already-believe"><strong> https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/sam-altmans-space-data-center-trash-talk-is-what-most-experts-already-believe</strong></a></p><p><strong>Falcon 9 booster’s record 36th flight:</strong><a href="https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/07/09/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-falcon-9-rocket-on-record-breaking-36th-flight/"><strong> https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/07/09/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-falcon-9-rocket-on-record-breaking-36th-flight/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Timestamps:0:00 A new generati